Anterior knee pain

Pain in the front of the knee can be due to a number of reasons. It can come from a one off trauma or from repetitive activities. The most likely causes for anterior knee pain can be due to a patella tendinopathy where the tendon from the knee cap (patella) to the tibia (shin bone) becomes irritated. Other structures in the knee such as the fat pad or bursa, which is located between the patella and the tibia can become inflamed after repeated loaded or impact to the region. A further source of pain in the front of the knee can come from the patella-femoral joint, which is the joint between the kneecap and the femur.

All these different pathologies have different management strategies, which would be established after a full physiotherapy assessment. All of the above pathologies are manageable with the correct advice and management but can lead to long periods of pain and inactivity if not dealt with.

What you can do:

The use of specific exercises will assist with most knee complaints alongside the use of analgesics.